Ben Hunt 'set to sign' with Broncos in bombshell Dragons contract twist
The move would be a stunning statement from the NRL ladder-leaders.
Wantaway Dragons captain Ben Hunt is reportedly set to make a stunning mid-season switch to ladder-leaders Brisbane, in a move likely to send shockwaves through the NRL. The Maroons star confirmed he wanted a release from the Dragons to move back to his family in Queensland, with NewsCorp reporting on Saturday that a deal with the Broncos was imminent.
The Daily Telegraph reports Hunt will be granted a release from the Dragons as early as Monday and will then link up with the Broncos for the remainder of 2023 after his release from St George Illawarra is formalised. The same report goes on to say the 33-year-old will then likely sign a deal with the two-year deal with the Titans, from the 2024 season.
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It's understood Broncos officials will discuss the move with Dragons counterparts over the weekend, with no official offer from Brisbane on the table as yet. It comes after the NRL warned all the Queensland clubs against negotiating with Hunt while he is still contracted to St George Illawarra.
Speaking ahead of his side's Queensland grudge match against the Titans on Sunday, Brisbane coach Kevin Walters remained tight-lipped when asked about the possibility of picking up Hunt. "(We) will let the NRL sort that out and we'll just wait and see what happens," he said.
"Most clubs could do with Ben Hunt in their squad. Not too many clubs would say no to him. We see it all the time. Ben's work ethic, he is skilful and tough, but he is with the Dragons."
Players have until August 7 to finalise any mid-season switches between clubs, with Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy denying his side had made prior contact with Hunt, who is under contract at the Dragons until 2025. “There haven’t been any negotiations with Ben, and we’re not in for him because he’s not off contract,” Donaghy said this week.
“I saw Kevvy’s quotes about Ben, which basically said nobody had spoken to him, but if a player like that was off contract, the club would consider him. Every club would.” The situation has seemingly evolved quickly, with Hunt admitting after his side's thumping defeat to the Warriors on Friday night, that he's keen to have his future sorted as soon as possible.
"I'm keen to get it sorted out. I'll have a meeting with the club this week and we'll get to the end of it," Hunt said during a surprising post-match press conference appearance. "I'm still the captain of the team and I'll always show up for my role. Until that's changed, I'll keep coming."
Michael Ennis fumes over Ben Hunt saga
Speaking on Fox League on Friday night, former premiership winner Ennis called the Hunt saga a "stain on the game" and said if players demanded a release from their contracts, they should not be able to play for another NRL club that season. He questioned how it was "fair" that Hunt could join another team in 2023 - especially one currently leading the competition.
“The fact that players in this modern day can still stick their hand up, midway through a season and say they want out … We have to change that," Ennis said. “The game has to step in at some point. We can’t keep doing this where they (players) can say they want out and then a week or two later the player ends up being let go.
“Can the game not step in and say, OK no worries, if Ben Hunt wants out and wants to go home, but he’s not playing for another club this year. How is it fair if he turns around and goes to a side like the Broncos who are sitting first?”
While the Broncos don't have salary cap space to sign Hunt from 2024 onwards, they do have wiggle room in this year's cap to take him on a reported $200,000 deal for the rest of the season. The move is similar to one that saw the Bulldogs take Karl Oloapu in exhange for $500,000, and Hunt's acquisition for the remainder of this season would cement Brisbane's status as one of the favourites for the premiership.
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